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HARRISBURG, March 3 – House Democratic leaders said today the 2015-16 budget proposed by Gov. Tom Wolf signals a return to responsible leadership in the governor's office and a willingness to make the tough choices necessary to move Pennsylvania forward and rebuild its middle class. "There's no way to sugarcoat it, the past four years were a disaster for Pennsylvania," Democratic Leader Frank Dermody said. "It was four years of policy based on outdated and ineffective ideology and budgets based on one-time gimmicks and unrealistic expectations. "Fixing the more-than-$2 billion structural deficit that resulted is going to be a tremendous challenge," he said. "But Governor Wolf has shown he is ready and willing to face that challenge head-on." The budget presented by Wolf tackles major state and local issues that have been chipping away at Pennsylvania’s financial and economic health for some time, said Democratic Whip Mike Hanna, citing weak job growth, stagnant wages, deteriorating schools and the collapse of the middle class. "The status quo hasn't worked," Hanna said. "It's refreshing to see the fresh start Governor Wolf promised reflected in his budget plan. All of us need to roll up our sleeves and get to work if we want to turn things around, and the governor has signaled he is ready to work with us in a practical and bipartisan manner. This budget proposal Read more

HARRISBURG, March 2 – State legislation requiring schools to provide parents of children in grades 5 through 12 with information about eating disorders has been introduced in the House, said Rep. Steve Santarsiero, the measure’s sponsor. The legislation (H.B. 433) also would create guidelines for local school boards that exercise an optional development of an eating-disorder screening program with appropriate opt-out and exemption procedures. Santarsiero has requested a public hearing on the bill before the House Education Committee. House Bill 433 further specifies training requirements for the personnel and volunteers who would run such a program, including the parental notification procedures required when a school official identifies a student with a potential eating disorder. "Eating disorders are real, complex and devastating conditions that can have serious consequences for health, productivity and relationships," said Santarsiero, D-Bucks. "These serious conditions are not a fad, phase or lifestyle choice, but instead are potentially life-threatening conditions that affect a person’s emotional and physical health. "People, especially children, who struggle with eating disorders, need to seek, or be provided with, professional help. The earlier a person with an eating disorder seeks treatment, the greater the likelihood of physical and emotional recovery," he added. A recent article featured in Women’s eNews Read more

Legislators, experts and advocates today spoke in support of legislation that would limit the types of immunization exemptions granted in Pennsylvania, during a Capitol news conference hosted by state Reps. Mike Schlossberg, D-Lehigh, and Becky Corbin, R-Chester.
At the news conference, Schlossberg explained that currently the state allows three exemptions for childhood immunization – medical, religious and philosophical. Schlossberg's and Corbin's legislation, which they intend to introduce shortly, would eliminate philosophical immunization exemptions, currently the most common type granted in the state.
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HARRISBURG, Feb. 26 – House Democrats today unanimously opposed a Republican plan (H.B. 466) to privatize the state’s wine and spirits stores, stating that it does not address consumers’ wants, would cost taxpayers more in the long term, do little to help Pennsylvania’s current fiscal crisis, and risk thousands of jobs. Liquor Control Committee Democratic Chairman Paul Costa rebutted backers of the bill who claim that putting all liquor sales in the private market is what Pennsylvanians want. In fact, consumer polling tells another story and the bill’s cumbersome formula for private licensing would set up a system people don’t want. A 2014 poll done by Franklin & Marshall that included an explanation of privatization and alternative plans found that more than half of respondents (57 percent) preferred to make the state wine and spirits stores more convenient or leave them the way they are. Costa said the Republican scheme would birth a complex system of private stores selling a hodgepodge of products with only a few fully stocked with liquor, wine and beer. Selection would diminish in many areas of the state, while big distributors would eventually put smaller, family-owned businesses out of business and then charge higher prices. Consumers would lose out. “Pennsylvanians want convenience, selection and good pricing,” Costa said. “The majority are not demanding privatization or Read more

HARRISBURG, Feb. 26 – State Rep. Bob Freeman, D-Northampton has introduced two bills to help small towns. The first bill (H.B. 659) would let communities extend their participation in the Main Street Program for up to five years. The second bill (H.B. 660) would make more small cities eligible for the state's City Revitalization and Improvement Zone program. "Our small towns and cities face many of the same challenges of larger, urban areas, but sometimes they get overlooked," Freeman said. "My legislation would help ensure their success by assisting them with downtown revitalization and stimulating economic development and job creation." The state's Main Street Program provides grants to help revitalize downtown districts and pay for a full-time Main Street manager who works with local officials and merchants to implement a downtown revitalization plan. Current involvement in the program is limited to five years. Freeman's bill would provide administrative support funding for up to an additional five years with approval by the Department of Community and Economic Development, which funds the program. "Unfortunately, we have seen in numerous cases that the current five-year time frame to turn around a traditional downtown is too short. A community just begins to see the progress brought on by Main Street initiatives only to see the plug pulled prematurely, often causing the downtown's success to suffer," Freeman Read more

State Rep. Dwight Evans has been appointed by Gov. Tom Wolf to the board of directors of the five-county Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority.
Once sworn in, Evans will succeed Thomas Jay Ellis, a Philadelphia lawyer who represented former Gov. Tom Corbett on the 17-member board, which includes members representing Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties.
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HARRISBURG, Feb. 25 - House Democratic Leader Frank Dermody and Whip Mike Hanna said Republicans on Tuesday prevented legislators from considering a plan to provide $90 million to help school districts across Pennsylvania move forward on more than 200 critical construction projects. Many of the projects were bottlenecked when Gov. Tom Corbett's education cuts forced a moratorium on state reimbursement for new projects in October 2012. "The House considered legislation last session that was meant to improve the reimbursement process and remove the moratorium," Dermody said. "By the time the House voted on the bill, the amount it called for had been reduced to just $10 million. That amount was completely inadequate." The Senate took no action on the bill (H.B. 2124) last session. When the bill was reintroduced this session as H.B. 210, it again only called for $10 million in funding. During debate on Tuesday, Democratic state Rep. Mike Carroll attempted to offer an amendment that would have increased that amount by $90 million. "The original version of the bill introduced by a Republican called for $100 million," Hanna said. "Representative Carroll's amendment would simply have restored that amount. Claiming that you are eliminating the moratorium and improving the process while only providing a small fraction of the amount of money necessary to help school districts actually start moving projects forward is absurd." Read more

HARRISBURG, Feb. 24 – State Rep. Angel Cruz, D-Phila., thanked House members this week for their unanimous adoption of House Resolution 86 , which honored Rep. Rosita Youngblood, D-Phila., on her accomplishment of becoming the first African-American female elected to a House leadership position. "This is a tremendous honor for Representative Youngblood, and I couldn’t think of a more deserving candidate," Cruz said. "Since taking office over 20 years ago, she has dedicated herself to not only improving the lives of her constituents, but also the lives of women and minorities across the state. I am positive she will continue to be a perfect example of how to use public service for the greater good of her community and all of Pennsylvania." Following her election to an 11th term in the state House, Youngblood was elected by members of the House Democratic Caucus to serve as the Democratic Caucus secretary, becoming the first African-American female to hold a leadership position in the history of the General Assembly. "There are truly no words to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude for the support from my colleagues in the House," Youngblood said. "It is overwhelmingly humbling to be recognized by my peers, colleagues and friends, and I truly appreciate each and every one of them, especially Rep. Cruz, for their kindness and support. To become the first ever African-American woman elected to a House leadership Read more

HARRISBURG, Feb. 24 – State Rep. Thomas Caltagirone, D-Berks, said the House passed his legislation that would provide training for law enforcement training and judges related to individuals suffering from mental illness, intellectual disabilities and autism within the criminal justice system. Under Caltagirone's bill, H.B. 221 , police officers and the minor judiciary, such as magisterial district judges, would receive training on the recognition and proper de-escalation techniques to be used when interacting with individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities or autism. The bill also calls for instruction on diversionary options for these individuals. "Incarcerating individuals with mental illness, intellectual disabilities or autism is not always the best option," Caltagirone said. "This bill addresses the issue on the front end by providing our police and minor judiciary with more early-detection training so they can identify these individuals as quickly as possible. "Moreover, with proper training our law enforcement officers may be able to avoid dangerous situations if they can quickly identify an individual experiencing a mental breakdown and use proven crisis intervention techniques to de-escalate a situation." Caltagirone added that according to recent estimates, over 50 percent of all female inmates and more than 20 percent of all inmates in state prison receive mental health treatments. Read more

HARRISBURG, Feb. 23 – House lawmakers today adopted a resolution ( H.R. 87 ) sponsored by Democratic Whip Mike Hanna, D-Clinton/Centre, to bring attention to a disorder affecting pregnant women. The resolution designated Feb. 25 as "Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Awareness Day" in Pennsylvania. Hanna said peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is a rare condition in which a pregnant woman's heart becomes weakened and enlarged. It develops during the last month of pregnancy, or within five months after the baby is born, and largely affects women over age 30. The cause of the condition is unknown and patients usually have no history of heart disease. Symptoms of PPCM include difficulty breathing when lying flat, shortness of breath on exertion, swelling, frequent nighttime urination, cough, excessive weight gain in the final month of pregnancy, heart palpitations, chest pain and enlarged left heart ventricle. “While some women remain stable for long periods, others experience a rapid deterioration in health, show no improvement with medical therapy, and may require cardiac transplantation, or unfortunately die of heart attack,” Hanna said. “If the heart remains enlarged, future pregnancies may result in heart failure. “Awareness is the key to successful PPCM outcomes, so I introduced this resolution to have Pennsylvania take a positive step toward educating and informing women of the dangers of this Read more

PA state Rep. Mike Hanna says dismantling the entire state liquor store system through privatization would be a mistake for Pennsylvania. Instead, Hanna is calling on his colleagues to support increased convenience for consumers while maintaining thousands of jobs across the state.
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